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Fulltext Development of a Personalized Mobile Mental Health Intervention for Workplace Cyberbullying Among Health Practitioners: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study

Kim YJ, Qian L, Aslam MS

JMIR Res Protoc, 2020 Nov 20;9(11):e23112.
PMID: 33216000 DOI: 10.2196/23112

BACKGROUND: Workplace cyberbullying harms the psychological and social functioning of professionals working in an organization and may decrease the productivity and efficiency of daily life tasks. A recent study on trainee doctors across 8 different United Kingdom National Health Service trusts found health issues and job dissatisfaction in people who have experienced workplace cyberbullying. This disabling effect is even more noticeable in low-socioeconomic communities within low-income countries. In Malaysia, there is a need to create a personalized mobile mental health intervention program for health care professionals. These programs should be directed to prevent and decrease psychosocial issues and enhance coordination among health care professionals to solve health issues in the community.
OBJECTIVE: Our main objective is to study the pre-effects and posteffects of the Personalized Mobile Mental Health Intervention (PMMH-I) for workplace cyberbullying in public and private hospitals in Malaysia.
METHODS: A hospital-based multimethod multi-analytic evidential approach is proposed, involving social and psychological health informatics. The project has been subdivided into 3 stages, starting with Phase 1, a prevalence study, followed by exploratory studies. Phase 2 consists of a quasi-experimental design, whereas the development of a prototype and their testing will be proposed in Phase 3. Each stage includes the use of quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed-method program), using SPSS (version 26.0; IBM Corp) and Stata (version 16.1; StataCorp) as tools for quantitative research, and NVivo (version 1.0; QSR International) and Atlas.ti (version 9.0.16; ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH) for qualitative research.
RESULTS: The results of this study will determine the pre- and posteffectiveness of an integrated PMMH-I for health care professionals. The prototype system platform will be developed and implemented in a public and private hospital. Results from Phase 1 will be published in 2021, followed by the implementation of Phase 2 in subsequent years.
CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide evidence and guidance regarding the implementation of a personalized mobile mental health intervention for health care professionals into routine public and private hospitals to enhance communication and resolve conflicts.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/23112.
Fulltext Cyberbullying Among Traditional and Complementary Medicine Practitioners in the Workplace: Protocol for a Cross-sectional Descriptive Study

Kim YJ, Qian L, Aslam MS

JMIR Res Protoc, 2021 Aug 12;10(8):e29582.
PMID: 34387559 DOI: 10.2196/29582

BACKGROUND: Cyberbullying is becoming prevalent among health care professionals and may cause a variety of mental health issues. Traditional and complementary medicine practitioners remain an important pillar of the health care system in Malaysia.
OBJECTIVE: This paper presents a study protocol for an online survey (Cyberbullying Among Traditional and Complementary Medicine Practitioner [TCMPs]) that will collect the first nationwide representative data on cyberbullying behavior among traditional and complementary medicine practitioners in Malaysia. The objectives of the survey are to (1) evaluate the cyberbullying behavior among traditional and complementary medicine practitioners in Malaysia, (2) identify sociodemographic and social factors related to cyberbullying, and (3) evaluate the association between cyberbullying behavior, sociodemographic, and social factors.
METHODS: A snowball sampling strategy will be applied. Traditional and complementary medicine practitioners who are permanent Malaysian residents will be randomly selected and invited to participate in the survey (N=1023). Cyberbullying behavior will be measured using the Cyberbullying Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ). Data on the following items will be collected: work-related bullying, person-related bullying, aggressively worded messages, distortion of messages, sending offensive photos/videos, hacking computers or sending a virus or rude message, and threatening messages about personal life or family members. We will also collect data on participants' sociodemographic characteristics, social factors, and substance abuse behavior.
RESULTS: This cross-sectional descriptive study was registered with Research Registry (Unique Identifying Number 6216; November 05, 2020). This research work (substudy) is planned under a phase 1 study approved by the Research Management Centre, Xiamen University Malaysia. This substudy has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Xiamen University Malaysia (REC-2011.01). The cross-sectional survey will be conducted from July 01, 2021, to June 30, 2022. Data preparation and statistical analyses are planned from January 2022 onward.
CONCLUSIONS: The current research can contribute to identify the prevalence of workplace cyberbullying among Malaysian traditional and complementary medicine practitioners. The results will help government stakeholders, health professionals, and education professionals to understand the psychological well-being of Malaysian traditional and complementary medicine practitioners.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: Research Registry Unique Identifying Number 6216; https://tinyurl.com/3rsmxs7u.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/29582.
Fulltext The impact of substance use disorder on the mental health among COVID-19 patients: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Kim YJ, Qian L, Aslam MS

Medicine (Baltimore), 2020 Nov 13;99(46):e23203.
PMID: 33181701 DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000023203

Substance use disorder (SUD) is associated with a high risk of physical and mental illness such as anxiety, depression, personality disorders, eating disorders, and abnormal mood changes. During the pandemic, SUD, a significant problem related to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is affecting adolescents. The recent available literature also emphasizes understanding the relationship between mental illness and SUD. Hence, it is essential to evaluate the scientific approach and examine the presented findings of articles published on SUD during the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic review will be conducted using PubMed, PubMed Central, and Scopus bibliographic databases. The grey literature on the impact of SUD on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among adolescents will be identified using scholar google. The dependability and credibility of the findings will be examined using the ConQual approach. The methodologies of the included studies will be compared using ROBIS (risk of bias in systematic reviews tool), a measurement tool to assess systematic reviews (AMSTAR), and the JBI critical appraisal tool. The systematic review will be carried out on published articles, so it is exempt from ethics approval. The Center for Open Science (OSF) will be used as a data repository during the preparation of the protocol and completion of the systematic review. The research findings will be published in a related peer-reviewed journal.
Synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles from aqueous leaf extract of Alternanthera sessilis and its anticancer activity on cervical cancer cells (HeLa)

Qian L, Su W, Wang Y, Dang M, Zhang W, Wang C

Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol, 2019 Dec;47(1):1173-1180.
PMID: 30942109 DOI: 10.1080/21691401.2018.1549064

Cervical cancer is the third most common highest mortality in women worldwide. The use of standard chemotherapeutic drugs against cervical cancer patients received several side effects. Therefore, we focused phytoconsituents-mediated synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) considered as greatest attention in the treatment of cervical cancer. In this present study, we reported that green synthesis of AuNPs by using with Alternanthera Sessilis aqueous extract. Synthesis of AuNPs were characterized by UV visible spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), selected area diffraction pattern (SAED), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and atomic force microscope. Synthesized AuNPs confirmed by the UV absorption maximum at 535 and crystal structure of gold AuNPs was further confirmed by EDX and SAED. TEM and atomic force microscopy images show the size and morphological distribution of nanoparticles. FTIR analysis was confirmed the hydroxyl groups, amine and alkaline groups of biomolecules are present in the AuNPs. Moreover, AuNPs induce cytotoxicity in cervical cancer cells and also induce apoptosis through modulating intrinsic apoptotic mechanisms in cervical cancer cells. This green synthesis of AuNPs from Alternanthera sessilis approach was easy, large scaled up and eco-friendly.
Fulltext Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Management of Viral Pneumonia

Xi S, Li Y, Yue L, Gong Y, Qian L, Liang T, et al.

Front Pharmacol, 2020;11:582322.
PMID: 33192523 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.582322

Viral pneumonia is one kind of acute respiratory tract infection caused by the virus. There have been many outbreaks of viral pneumonia with high contagiousness and mortality both in China and abroad, such as the great influenza in 1918, the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus in 2003, the Influenza A (H1N1) virus in 2009, and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012 and the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 2019. These outbreaks and/or pandemic have significant impact on human life, social behaviors, and economic development. Moreover, no specific drug has been developed for these viruses. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays an important role in the treatment of viral pneumonia during these outbreaks especially in SARS and SARS-CoV-2 because studies suggest that TCM formulations may target several aspects of the disease and may have lesser side effects than manufactured pharmaceuticals. In recent years, a lot of clinicians and researchers have made a series of in-depth explorations and investigations on the treatment of viral pneumonia with TCM, which have understood TCM therapeutic mechanisms more specifically and clearly. But critical analysis of this research in addition to further studies are needed to assess the potential of TCM in the treatment of viral pneumonia.
Assessing the Workplace Cyberloafing Behavior among Pharmacists in Pakistan

Kim YJ, Aslam MS, Deng R, Leghari QA, Lkhagvasuren D, Nadir MN, et al.

J Res Pharm Pract, 2022;11(2):73-79.
PMID: 36798101 DOI: 10.4103/jrpp.jrpp_29_22

OBJECTIVE: After the commencement of the Internet and the popularity of various electronic devices, cyberloafing has become prevalent in the workplace regardless of professional type, demographic characteristics, and country. Individuals use the Internet for work-irrelevant purposes during work hours, which is believed to have a controversial role in work productivity. However, rare studies have paid attention to the prevalence of cyberloafing behavior among Pakistan pharmacists. Considering pharmacists' essential role in the health sector, this study investigates the prevalence of cyberloafing activities among workplace pharmacists in Pakistan.
METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among 242 registered pharmacists in Pakistan between October 2021 and February 2022 with a structured self-administered online questionnaire. The final sample consisted of 200 valid responses after screening. Data were processed through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses. Pearson Chi-square analysis was also used to test the correlation between factors.
FINDINGS: Descriptive analysis shows that pharmacists spend more time on sharing-related activities and least on gambling/gaming-related activities in the workplace. All the items' Cronbach's alpha values range from 0.923 to 0.927. The analysis indicates that (60%) pharmacists have intermediate Internet skills. The results also suggest that age, Internet usage, and work area have a strong relationship with cyberloafing behaviors which also, in turn, are linked with their perceived Internet skills. This study has important practical implications for pharmacy management in Pakistan.
CONCLUSION: Cyberloafing behavior is prevalent among Pakistan pharmacists. Our findings could inspire how managers and all other relevant stakeholders could improve the pharmacy system in Pakistan.
Fulltext Consumer's Satisfaction with Community Pharmacies in Sindh, Pakistan

Kim YJ, Aslam MS, Fahim SM, Khan WA, Qian L

J Res Pharm Pract, 2021;10(2):78-82.
PMID: 34527612 DOI: 10.4103/jrpp.JRPP_20_108

OBJECTIVE: The present research is the first comprehensive cross-sectional study of consumer satisfaction with community pharmacies in Sindh, Pakistan. Moreover, the study has also designed a nonorder theoretical model for consumer satisfaction with community pharmacies.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study from a general population of Sindh, Pakistan, with a total of four hundred and fifteen (n = 415) participants. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to verify the factor structure between Pharmaceutical services (PS), the Skill of Pharmacists, Non-pharmaceutical services (NPS), and pricing (P). Pearson correlation analysis, Kendall's tau correlation analysis, and Spearman's rho correlation analysis were used to identify the correlation between different factors, such as PS, SKP, NPS, and P.
FINDINGS: The 23-item scale that consisted of four elements have shown an acceptable root mean squared error of approximation (0.076), Cronbach's alpha (0.787), and Chi-square value (3.381) (P < 0.001). Of the respondents, 56.4% rated their satisfaction on pharmacist attitude, whereas 67.2%, 41.4%, and 51.8% were satisfied with other services, such as receipt provided on medication they take, prescription drug service and availability of pharmacies on the weekend and public holidays, respectively.
CONCLUSION: This cross-sectional study confirms that there are relationships among PS, SPK, NPS, and P. Moreover, there is a lack of facilities in community pharmacies in Sindh, such as the unavailability of a consultation room, immunization services, information on routine health matters, and medication record.
Fulltext Intolerance of uncertainty across stress, anxiety, and depression among university students in Pakistan: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Kim YJ, Aslam MS, Deng R, Leghari QA, Naseem S, Ul Hassan MM, et al.

Heliyon, 2023 Jun;9(6):e16636.
PMID: 37274650 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16636

BACKGROUND: The mental health issues due to COVID-19, such as intolerance of uncertainty (IOU), anxiety, stress, and depression, have attracted extensive attention from researchers. The challenges for Pakistani university students could be worse than developed countries due to the lack of online courses/programs and online mental health support provided by academic institutions. Therefore, the current study aims to assess the intolerance of uncertainty, depression, anxiety, and stress of Pakistani university students after the second wave of COVID-19 and the relationship among these constructs.
METHODS: A convenience cross-sectional sampling method was used to collect data from university students in Pakistan between January 2021 and April 2022 via a structured online questionnaire. The Descriptive analysis focused on frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation (SD) were calculated on IOU-12 and DASS-21. Covariance for the research model and confirmatory factor analyses fit indices for the IOU-12 and DASS-21 were analyzed by AMOS statistical packages.
RESULTS: As expected, anxiety, depression, and stress persist among Pakistani university students. On average, they report mild to moderate mental health problems regarding anxiety, depression, stress, and intolerance of uncertainty. Our results indicate a strong positive relationship among the three emotional distress components - anxiety, depression, and stress. However, our results suggest no significant relationship between IOU and the three subcomponents of emotional distress (anxiety, depression, and stress).
LIMITATIONS: First, the cross-sectional survey design means we cannot conclude on the causal relations. Second, the self-report questionnaire embeds subjectivity issues. Last, the generalizability of the sample to the whole student population in Pakistan is limited, considering the sampling method.
CONCLUSION: This study expanded the current knowledge in the psychological health domain (intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety, depression, and stress) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In practice, higher education institutions should further mitigate university students' mental health issues. For researchers, our findings inspire future studies to delve into the relationship between IOU and mental health issues due to COVID-19 since our findings display contrary evidence for various reasons.
A Q-marker screening strategy based on ADME studies and systems biology for Chinese herbal medicine, taking Qianghuo Shengshi decoction in treating rheumatoid arthritis as an example

Wang J, Tao C, Xu G, Ling J, Tong J, Goh BH, et al.

Mol Omics, 2023 Dec 04;19(10):769-786.
PMID: 37498608 DOI: 10.1039/d3mo00029j

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) exhibits a broad spectrum of clinical applications and demonstrates favorable therapeutic efficacy. Nonetheless, elucidating the underlying mechanism of action (MOA) of CHM in disease treatment remains a formidable task due to its inherent characteristics of multi-level, multi-linked, and multi-dimensional non-linear synergistic actions. In recent years, the concept of a Quality marker (Q-marker) proposed by Liu et al. has significantly contributed to the monitoring and evaluation of CHM products, thereby fostering the advancement of CHM research. Within this study, a Q-marker screening strategy for CHM formulas has been introduced, particularly emphasising efficacy and biological activities, integrating absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) studies, systems biology, and experimental verification. As an illustrative case, the Q-marker screening of Qianghuo Shengshi decoction (QHSSD) for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been conducted. Consequently, from a pool of 159 compounds within QHSSD, five Q-markers exhibiting significant in vitro anti-inflammatory effects have been identified. These Q-markers encompass notopterol, isoliquiritin, imperatorin, cimifugin, and glycyrrhizic acid. Furthermore, by employing an integrated analysis of network pharmacology and metabolomics, several instructive insights into pharmacological mechanisms have been gleaned. This includes the identification of key targets and pathways through which QHSSD exerts its crucial roles in the treatment of RA. Notably, the inhibitory effect of QHSSD on AKT1 and MAPK3 activation has been validated through western blot analysis, underscoring its potential to mitigate RA-related inflammatory responses. In summary, this research demonstrates the proposed strategy's feasibility and provides a practical reference model for the systematic investigation of CHM formulas.